Director of Jewish Life and Learning

Title: Director of Jewish Life and Learning

Reports to: Senior Director of Engagement

Type: Full time

Salary range: $70,000-$80,000

Location: Washington, DC; in-person/hybrid

Who we are:

The Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center (EDCJCC) is the Jewish community's home in our nation's capital. Guided by Jewish values and heritage, the EDCJCC engages individuals and families through cultural, recreational, educational, and social justice programs. We welcome people of all backgrounds to connect, learn, serve, and be entertained together in ways that reflect the Center's unique role in the nation's capital.

The Director of Jewish Life and Learning is central to fulfilling the EDCJCC's mission and leading the evolution of our engagement model. Our Jewish Life and Learning (JLL) program aims both to welcome newcomers exploring Jewish life and to deepen the Jewish belonging of those already active at the JCC. At a time when we are reimagining how we build community, the Director of JLL will be instrumental in creating deep, sustained, small-group cohorts that enrich and expand our work. This is an exciting opportunity to help build something bold and enduring within the context of a rich 100-year history.

Role overview:

The Director of Jewish Life and Learning has three primary goals:

• Build an growing, open, and welcoming community for Jewish life based on a sustained small group engagement model.
• Create accessible, substantive and creative Jewish experiences for a variety of audiences.
• Infuse Jewish wisdom, culture and traditions into the overall JCC experience.

What you'll do:

• Build and maintain a variety of small-group cohorts based on our “cluster” engagement model—some of which will be rooted in Jewish learning and others that are formed around different ages, affinities, and life stages.
• Create and manage a set of programs and experiences that provide accessible avenues for exploration of Jewish living, wisdom, and values, including large holiday celebrations and family programming, and oversee registration and teachers for Hebrew and Intro to Judaism classes.
• Provide Jewish enrichment and educational experiences for staff and board members, including assisting staff in weaving Jewish content into their programming when relevant.
• Spearhead initiatives that help our building ‘feel Jewish,’ with holiday lobby displays, creative and interactive seasonal engagement for community members, and more.
• Collaborate with a committee of board and lay leaders to inform the work of the department.
• Partner with EDCJCC support staff to advance JLL’s goals, including working with the development team to cultivate and steward support, helping the marketing team publicize JLL events, and more.

What you'll bring to the job:

• A background in experiential Jewish education with a minimum of 5 years of experience in Jewish education, programming, and/or community building
• A track record as a relationship builder extraordinaire: you love meeting new people, hearing their stories, remembering important details about them, listening deeply, and can bring them into the JCC’s “living room”.
• Ability to take initiative: you aren’t afraid of ambiguity and don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do at every step. You know how to dive in and get started, and to seek clarification when it is needed.
• An awesome attitude: you’re motivated to come to work and engage with your colleagues and constituents, you’re eager to grow as a human and a professional, you take feedback with grace, and you take pride in the work that you accomplish.
• A pluralistic and expansive view of Jewish life: you embrace the diversity of our Jewish community and can help people have meaningful Jewish experiences across that spectrum.
• A partnership-forward approach to Jewish communal work: you are skilled at forming and maintaining partnerships across the community to support the EDCJCC’s Jewish life goals.
• Superior attention to detail and strong project management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Flexibility with your schedule that allows you to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed

What we offer:

This is a full-time, exempt position with a salary range of $70,000-$80,000. The ideal start date is June 22, 2026, but we will continue searching until the right candidate is found. This role is based at the EDCJCC building in Dupont Circle, with a hybrid schedule that permits telework two days per week as your programming schedule permits.

A generous benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan with employer contribution, life insurance, and long-term disability coverage. We also provide generous paid sick and vacation leave, paid time off on all major Jewish and federal holidays, and fitness and pool membership, free tickets to theater, film and more.

Join Us!

Please send a resume and cover letter outlining your qualifications for and interest in this position along with how you learned about the opening to Sonya Weisburd at sweisburd@edcjcc.org. We're an equal opportunity employer, and hire without consideration of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability. We strongly welcome and encourage diverse candidates to apply.

This role is based at the EDCJCC building in Dupont Circle, with a hybrid schedule that permits telework two days per week as your programming schedule permits.

A generous benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan with employer contribution, life insurance, and long-term disability coverage. We also provide generous paid sick and vacation leave, paid time off on all major Jewish and federal holidays, and fitness and pool membership, free tickets to theater, film and more.